SGMA IMPLEMENTATION: DWR announces draft Groundwater Basin Boundary Modifications
From the Department of Water Resources:
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) has announced draft decisions for groundwater basin boundary modification requests submitted by local agencies as part of the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). Basins boundaries were previously updated in 2016.
Basin boundaries characterize the extent of groundwater basins in California and SGMA requires these basins to be prioritized to determine which will be required to develop groundwater sustainability plans.
Of the 517 groundwater basins and subbasins in California, local agencies submitted 43 requests for basin modifications that affect 59 basins and subbasins. Modifications could be requested for either scientific or jurisdictional reasons. Scientific modifications are based on geologic or hydrologic conditions, while jurisdictional modifications change boundaries to promote sustainable groundwater management.
DWR staff reviewed all requests and approved modifications that met the requirements of the Basin Boundary Regulations. In total, DWR approved 33, denied seven and partially approved three modification requests. Denials were based on the criteria identified in regulations and were specific to the unique information presented for each type of modification request. Some requests were partially approved because some portions of the modification requests were adequately supported by the information provided, while other portions were not.
A 30-day public comment period is being held to allow further input by the public and local agencies. A Basin Boundary Modifications Public Meeting to solicit comments will be held at 1 p.m., Tuesday, December 11, 2018, in the California Natural Resources Agency Auditorium, at 1416 9th Street, Sacramento. The meeting will also be webcast live. Comments can be submitted online at any time during the public comment period, which ends January 4, 2019.
DWR will present the draft Basin Boundary Modifications at the California Water Commission meeting on January 16, 2019, where further public comment can be submitted. All public comments received throughout the process will be reviewed and evaluated before final Basin Boundary Modifications results are announced in February 2019.
For Draft Basin Boundary Modifications results, click here.
To submit public comments, click here.
For more information on SGMA and groundwater, click here.
DWR SUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER MGT UPDATE: Draft basin boundary modifications and updated FAQ available, Update on basin prioritization and alternatives; SGMA Governance Survey, and more …
From the Department of Water Resources, Sustainable Groundwater Management Office:
NEW Draft Basin Boundary Modifications Released
Public Comment
A public comment period on Draft Basin Boundary Modifications is open now through January 4, 2019. All public comments received throughout the process will be reviewed and evaluated before Final Basin Boundary Modifications results are announced in February 2019. To submit public comments, click here.
Public Meetings
Public comments on Draft Basin Boundary Modifications can also be provided at the following public meetings.
Draft Basin Boundary Modifications Public Meeting
Tuesday, December 11, 2018, at 1 p.m.
California Natural Resources Agency
First Floor Auditorium
1416 9th St., Sacramento.
The meeting will be webcast live at 1:20 p.m. To view the live webcast, click here.
Please RSVP for the meeting here.California Water Commission Meeting
Wednesday, January 16, 2019, at 9:30 a.m.
California Natural Resources Agency
First Floor Auditorium
1416 9th St., Sacramento
For questions, email sgmps@water.ca.gov.
NEW Frequently Asked Questions Updated
Basin Boundary Modifications Frequently Asked Questions have been updated.
NEW Basin Prioritization Update
Final Basin Prioritization for basins not affected by Basin Boundary Modifications is expected in early January 2019. Draft Basin Prioritization for modified basins is expected in February 2019, with final Basin Prioritization in May 2019. The 2018 SGMA Basin Prioritization Timeline has been updated to reflect this.
NEW Alternatives Update
SGMO continues to prioritize review of Alternatives to Groundwater Sustainability Plans and recognizes the importance of this work to the submitting agencies. DWR expects to release assessments for each of the submitted Alternatives during the first quarter of 2019. If you have any questions or comments, please email Craig Altare at Craig.Altare@water.ca.gov.
NEW UC Davis SGMA Governance Survey
UC Davis Center for Environmental Policy and Behavior is conducting a voluntary survey, as a part of a research project, to understand local views and participation in the Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) development process. UC Davis Center for Environmental Policy and Behavior has provided unique survey links to GSP coordinators. Please contact your GSP coordinator for the survey link if you are interested in participating. If you have any questions regarding the survey, please contact surveys@ucdavis.edu.
REMINDER: Submit Your GSP Initial Notification
Groundwater sustainability agencies (GSA) are required to notify DWR, in writing, prior to initiating development of a GSP. GSAs must submit all applicable GSP initial notification information to DWR using the SGMA Portal – GSP Initial Notification System. The SGMA Portal – GSP Initial Notification System also allows edits to be made to a previously submitted Initial Notification, including the ability to withdraw a submittal.
Also, remember, “If the geographic area to be covered by the plan includes a public water system regulated by the Public Utilities Commission, the groundwater sustainability agency shall provide the written statement to the commission.” See Water Code § 10727.8.
For more information, please see Frequently Asked Questions on GSP Initial Notification Requirements or contact the Regional Coordinators in DWR’s four Regional Offices.
For assistance with the system, please email monica.reis@water.ca.gov.
Connect with Your Basin Point of Contact
DWR has designated Basin Points of Contact to assist local agencies and GSAs as GSPs are developed and implemented and to assist with applications for Technical Support Services and Facilitation Support Services.
To determine your basin point of contact, please see the following links that provide maps and contact information:
For more on DWR’s Assistance and Engagement Programs, click here.
For regional inquiries, please contact sgmp_rc@water.ca.gov.
For general inquiries, please contact sgmps@water.ca.gov.
A legal battle in the Coachella Valley could transform how California – and the nation – uses water
From Pacific Standard:
“In a legal battle between a Californian tribe and the state’s water agencies, experts are seeing a turning point in the history of United States water rights, potentially affecting how water is controlled across the entire country.
In November of last year, the Supreme Court declined to hear a case that the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, concerned about the effects of climate change and the quality of the water in the aquifer, brought against the Coachella Valley Water District and the Desert Water Agency.
This Supreme Court decision left standing a Ninth Circuit ruling, which established—for the first time—the principle that tribes have priority over their reservations’ groundwater. … ”
Read more from the Pacific Standard here: A legal battle in the Coachella Valley could transform how California – and the nation – uses water
Defeat of water bond imperils desert community of Borrego Springs
From the San Diego Union Tribune:
“It’s back to square one for the desert community of Borrego Springs, which is facing the daunting task of reducing its consumption of water by at least 75 percent in the coming decades.
Mostly lost in the hubbub surrounding the Nov. 6 election was the defeat of Proposition 3, an $8.8 billion state water bond. Had it passed, Borrego Springs would have received $35 million to fallow most of the 3,800 acres of citrus and other farms in the northern part of the community. … ”
Read more from the San Diego Union Tribune here: Defeat of water bond imperils desert community of Borrego Springs
Report from the Owens Valley Groundwater Authority meeting
From the Sierra Wave:
“As if Fred Stump didn’t make his position on specific groups joining the Owens Valley Groundwater Authority board as voting members clear enough at last month’s meeting, the Mono County Supervisor doubled down Monday afternoon, objecting on ethical terms.
“This is an ethical issue,” he said at the end of a discussion on letters to be sent to potential associate members and interested parties in order to gauge interest. “I’m against votes for government agencies, businesses and special interest groups,” he said. “I want to take the decision on voting (privileges) back to our individual boards.” … ”
Read more from the Sierra Wave here: Report from the Owens Valley Groundwater Authority meeting
CA WATER COMMISSION: Update on implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act
DWR updates the Commissioners on the evaluation of alternative plans, basin boundary modifications, and basin prioritization
At the November meeting of the California Water Commission, staff from the Sustainable Groundwater Management Program at the Department of Water Resources updated the Commissioners on the various activities of the Department to implement Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
Taryn Ravazzini, the Deputy Director for Special Initiatives and the Executive Sponsor of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Program at the Department of Water Resources, began the presentation by noting that on January 1st of 2018, the Department established the Sustainable Groundwater Management Office, which resides within the Executive Division under Ms. Ravazzini’s management. “This represents the Department’s commitment to SGMA implementation as a priority and does allow for nimble management and direct connection to DWR Executives, both of which are necessary to meet the demands of the aggressive schedule outlined in the Act,” she said.
To continue reading at Maven’s Notebook, click here: CA WATER COMMISSION: Update on implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act
RESEARCH BRIEF: AquaCharge: A Design Tool for Balancing Groundwater Management Trade-Offs
From Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment:
“Many arid regions face groundwater security and reliability challenges, such as overdraft and climate change-driven precipitation shifts. Increasingly, water managers are considering recharging aquifers using stormwater and recycled water–Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR). These projects are hindered by a lack of tools to evaluate system design costs and trade-offs. Stanford researchers have developed AquaCharge, a planning tool that can optimize system costs and performance to help water managers make more informed decisions about how MAR can fit into water management strategies. … ”
Read this research brief here: AquaCharge: A Design Tool for Balancing Groundwater Management Trade-Offs
‘Incentivized Managed Aquifer Recharge’ – Basin Scale Implementation of MAR
From Michael Campana at the Water Wired blog:
“A process of Incentivized Managed Aquifer Recharge, utilizing ownership of marketable Aquifer Recharge Units is being implemented within Idaho’s Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer. A powerful tool in establishing balanced and sustainable aquifer management, the Incentivized Managed Aquifer Recharge program could have beneficial application in suitable water basins throughout the West.
Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) may be defined as processes designed to move water from land surface to aquifer storage. MAR has been conducted in various locations throughout the world since ancient times. Modern MAR efforts in the western United States have been frequently documented in The Water Report (see Recharge References below). Virtually all of these efforts, however, have been undertaken by or through a governmental entity (state or municipal), or by a private entity at a local scale involving one or just a few wells. The State of Arizona created a basin-wide opportunity for crediting recharge water but this system applies only in Arizona. While localized efforts in other basins have been implemented, to date they do not provide cost-effective incentivized solutions at a basin scale.
The Recharge Development Corporation (RDC) is an Idaho corporation created for the purpose of developing infrastructure, processes, and strategies that will facilitate water retention projects to benefit residents and water users in the State of Idaho.
RDC is helping incentivize Eastern Snake Plain Aquifer entities to be involved in MAR through the application of Incentivized Managed Aquifer Recharge (patent-pending). …
Click here to read more and download article at the Water Wired blog.
Absent major changes, new groundwater rules will cost Kern County 24,000 jobs
From Bakersfield Now:
“Absent major changes to farming practices and an increase in water supply, Kern County‘s farming juggernaut will have to shrink considerably to meet aggressive new targets for conservation.
A study commissioned by the Kern Groundwater Authority suggests tremendous job losses are a possibility as water district managers and farmers work toward compliance with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. … ”
Read more from Bakersfield Now here: Absent major changes, new groundwater rules will cost Kern County 24,000 jobs
As California’s Groundwater Free-for-All Ends, Gauging What’s Left
From Water in the West:
“Most areas of California farm country have a significant lack of information about their groundwater use. The water managers responsible for putting California’s depleted aquifers on the path to sustainability now need to get the data to do the job. Running the new agencies created under the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, these managers must first decide what they need to know, and how to get the information.
The measuring gauges they need would ideally give two different views of groundwater reality. First, account for withdrawals by identifying who is taking the water, then control the withdrawals to ensure sustainability, now required in 109 of the state’s 517 groundwater basins. Second, monitor the overall health of the aquifer to ensure it is not trespassing over the various boundaries of unsustainability now carved into state law. … “
To read this article, click here: As California’s Groundwater Free-for-All Ends, Gauging What’s Left